A Queensland woman battling terminal cancer and her doting partner have been revealed as Australia's first same-sex couple to officially tie the knot .
Jo Grant, 48, and Jill Kindt, 53, were legally married in the garden of their Coolum beach home last year, making history with the help of nurses, strangers and bureaucrats.
The small December 15 ceremony came just weeks before Jo, described by the love of her life as a strong, beautiful woman, passed away.
"She was a force of nature," Jill said on Wednesday.
She said there were doubts Jo would make it through last year's same-sex marriage survey, but the uncertainty gave way to an overwhelming relief when Australia voted yes for marriage equality.
The couple of eight years had stood before their loved ones and a friend acting as celebrant on March 23, 2013, exchanging vows in a ceremony described as their promise day.
"We considered ourselves married but in the legal sense we weren't, and the medical journey that we'd been on in the last two years demonstrated those holes," Jill said.
A curious phone call from a determined palliative care nurse sparked the swiftly executed ceremony, including the bypassing of regular red tape.
The 30-day waiting period was waived by officials and their marriage certificate, the first of its kind, traded hands between strangers at a petrol station on the Bruce Highway before being delivered to them on a Friday night.
Jill watched alongside Jo's parents, Sandra and Paul, at state parliament on Wednesday as Attorney-General Yvette D'Ath revealed their wedding came a day before those in Sydney and Melbourne, previously believed to be the first.
She thanked the strangers who had helped her and Jo's dream come true.
"We were overwhelmed and humbled by the fact that people who did not know us made something that we wanted happen and gave us a whole heap of joy," she told reporters.
"I'm glad this story is being told for Jo, and I loved hearing her name being said in parliament today. I loved that, and it was said a lot."
Ms D'Ath described the couple's bond as the ultimate love story.
"Jo's mum Sandra believes the marriage renewed Jo's spirit, keeping her alive long enough to have one last Christmas with her family," she said.
Ms D'Ath said 159 same-sex couples have married in Queensland since the change to the marriage act.
